'I've been banging the drum for years but at least now Lancashire dad's will get a better deal'
The Labour government has extended paternity pay to self-employed dads, benefiting more than 160,000 additional parents who have previously missed out on support
An MP was this week celebrating after the Government adopted a policy she had been ‘banging the drum’ about since she took her seat.
Ribble Valley MP and family rights campaigner Maya Ellis was delighted after the Labour government announced it was extending paternity pay.
Self-employed dads and partners will now receive two weeks of paternity support worth up to £194 per week.
The move will benefit more than 160,000 additional parents who have previously missed out, forcing many to go straight back to work after their children are born.
Maya has campaigned for a fairer paternity system for families since becoming an MP, using her maiden speech in the House of Commons and her first Prime Ministers Question Time to push for a reform of parental leave.
She has teamed up with other MPs and campaign group The Dad Shift to press the Prime Minister, Chancellor and government to go further, and said this was an important win for families.
She said: “I’ve been banging the drum for better paternity leave for a long time, and one of the biggest injustices has been the complete lack of support for self-employed dads and non-birthing parents.
“For those who work for themselves, having a baby can mean they must make a difficult choice – take those precious first days at home and lose income, or go straight back to work. “I’m so pleased my lobbying has been taken on board because this will make such a huge difference to so many families, enabling partners to give mums the support they need and all parents to build vital bonds with their babies.”
Maya said the campaign will continue as there is much more to be done to bring the UK on a par with other countries.
She said: “I’ll keep campaigning for at least six weeks at 90 per cent of pay because I want us to be more ambitious in establishing a system that gives families the best start in life.
“This is a really important first step, though, and I know so many self-employed partners will be delighted this week.”